Rookie Forward Jason Zucker to make NHL debut with Minnesota Wild against Florida Panthers
With hopes of making the playoffs out of the question now, Minnesota Wild has decided to give one of their top prospects, rookie forward Jason Zucker, a moment to shine in the National Hockey League (NHL) on Thursday, March 29, 2012, against Florida Panthers.
Zucker, a 59th overall draft pick by Minnesota during the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, was definitely excited upon hearing the news and termed it a cause for him being unable to sleep all night.
"I couldn't sleep last night," the 20-year-old left winger said.
The strategy behind Minnesota’s quick move to play a prospect was to allow him some exposure into the major league, ultimately giving him a kick start to his career and something to work on in the offseason.
"I don't want to pigeon-hole him into anything, as far as what we expect from him," Minnesota Wild head coach, Mike Yeo, said of Zucker. "I want to give him the opportunity to come in here and do that on his own."
The young forward impressed Minnesota during his days in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference as a sophomore as he stood second overall. With 23 goals and 22 assists in 40 games played, Zucker was awarded the WCHA Freshman of the Year award as well.
"We saw him as more of an energy player who could kill penalties and play on the third line. Obviously, in college he's been a first-line player who scored goals. I hope there's elements of both in his game, but time will tell," Wild general manager, Chuck
Fletcher, added.
Zucker has also spent time with the United States National Team Development Program and was recently playing with the University of Denver along with representing the U.S. in the World Junior Championships.
The head start to his career as an NHL player is a good move by Minnesota as termed by many observers since it will allow him to get an early boost on a potential breakthrough season next year. Playing early is also expected to get the player in that professional
mode to really utilise his talents next season.
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